Abstract
A general and efficient multiband transfer-matrix method based on the envelope-function approximation (k-p method) was developed for the calculation of electronic structures of two-dimensional semiconductor systems. A new searching strategy for the allowed energy in finite structures was adopted to avoid the generally encountered divergence problem of the transfer-matrix method across the classical turning points. A specific continuity condition was selected to ensure the hermicity of the Hamiltonian operator. Electric and magnetic fields as well as strain along any direction can all be included within a unified treatment and at no further expense in calculation. Examples including the in-plane dispersion in quantum wells, the influence of strain effects and electric field on the band structures of quantum wells, and the minibands in superlattices were calculated to illustrate the use of this multiband transfer-matrix scheme. © 2000 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.